Hormonal Control of Flowering: Mechanisms and Responses of Plants to Climate Change Stressors

Abstract

Flowering is a vital developmental process in plants that determines reproductive success and crop productivity. Its timing and regulation are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, with plant hormones serving as key mediators that integrate these signals. Under changing climatic conditions—such as increased temperatures, drought, altered photoperiods, and elevated CO₂—plants experience disruptions in hormonal homeostasis, affecting the initiation and progression of flowering. Hormones including gibberellins (GAs), auxins, cytokinins, abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, and jasmonic acid (JA) interact in complex signaling networks to control floral transition and meristem activity. Gibberellins generally promote flowering, while ABA delays it under stress by suppressing floral activator genes. Similarly, cytokinins maintain floral meristem identity, and ethylene and jasmonates act as modulators during abiotic stress. Climate-induced stress alters hormone biosynthesis, transport, and signal transduction, leading to adaptive flowering responses aimed at optimizing reproductive success. Understanding these hormonal mechanisms provides critical insights for developing climate-resilient crops through molecular breeding, genetic engineering, and hormone-based management practices. Hence, hormonal control of flowering under climate stress represents a vital adaptive strategy that supports agricultural sustainability and global food security in the face of accelerating environmental change.